Safety appliance for car-couplings.



B.. E. GRUWLEY. SAFETY APPLIANGE ron GAR couPLINGs. APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 25, 1909. 981,067, PatentedJan. 10, 1911.

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FETY APP LIANGB FOR GAR GOUPLINGS.

Q Patented Jan. 11o, 1911.

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MINI ROBERT E. CROWLEY, OF GALION, OHIO.

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR CLAR-COUIE'LINGS.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Application filed January 25, 1909. Serial No. 474,118.

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. CROWLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Galion, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Appliances for Car-Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to that class of car couplers in which heads are employed having pivoted knuckles and knuckle-receiving recesses.

lt is well known to those having practical experience with car couplers that sometimes the draw bars break, permitting the couplers to drop, in which case, they are very liable to fall or be thrown upon the track, perhaps derailing the cars, and causing serious accidents.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide means of a simple and novel character for supporting the heads in case they become broken, thereby eliminating the dan er of accidents from the cause above set Orth.

A further object is to provide means which can be readily attached to the ordinary coupler now in common use so that the expense of an entirely new coupler struc ture is not necessary.

One embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a coupler showing one of the heads broken from a car and supported by the companion coupler. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional View on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional View through one of the heads, on the line 4-i of Fig. 2.

Similar reference numerals designatecorresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment disclosed, two coupler heads 5 are shown in coupled relation. Each head has a knuckle-receiving recess 6 and a knuckle 7 pivoted to the head, as illustrated at 8. The knuckles as usual in this type of structure have vertical openings such as 9.

So far as thus described, the structure is well known to those skilled in the art, and is open to the objections set forth in the preliminary portion of the specification.

r1`hat is to say, should one of the coupler heads be broken from its supporting shank or draw bar, it can drop downwardly from the other coupler head.

To prevent the separation of the heads in case of breakage, in the present embodiment of the invention, each head is provided on its lower portion with an upwardly tapered wedge 10 that projects into the knuckle-receiving recess, and is preferably a piece separate from the head, being provided witha flange 11 extending beneath the head, and suitably secured thereto, as shown at 12. In like manner, each knuckle carries a downwardly tapered wedge 18 that projects beyond the `upper portion of its end, and has a flange 14 that lies upon the knuckle, said flange being provided with an opening 15 that registers with the opening 9 in the knuckle. A bolt 16, or other fastener passes through the o ening and through the opening 9, thus e ectively securing the wedge in place.

With this construction, and particularly by reference to Fig. 3, it will be evident that should one of the coupler heads break, if it drops downwardly, the coacting wedges carried by the head and knuckle, will prevent the detachment of one head from the other. The device is extremely simple, and as shown, may be in the form of an attachment that can be easily applied to couplers already in use.

The general purpose and object of the in vention has already been indicated, but by way of further exemplifying the advantages of the construction herein described, it may be further noted at this point that under the condition of two cars being of unequal height at the point where they are to be coupled, the present invention, when embodied in the couplers, would effectually prevent the cars from becoming uncoupled by one draw bar sliding out of the other, or down below the other, because of the said unequal height of the couplers. Furthermore, it is a well known fact that frequently in the use of the ordinary car couplers, where one coupler head is higher than the other, irregularities in the track would cause the cars to be uncoupled, thereby resulting in damage to the equipment and frequently to the cars, whereas by the use of the present invention such disastrous results are prevented by reason of the fact that one coupler head cannot slip through or out of the other coupler head,

and the coupling, when once made, does not become uncoupled until the knuckles are opened in the usual way.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein describedinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and niinor details of construction niay be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described niy invention, what I claiin as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is l l. A car coupler, including a head having a knuckle-receiving recess, and a knuckle pivoted to the head, said head having a wedge portion extending into the recess and said knuckle having an oppositely disposed wedge portion that` engages in the recess of a coacting coupler head.

2. A car coup'ler, including a head having a lniuckle-receiving recess, and a knuckle pivoted to the head, said head having an upwardly tapered wedge portion extending into the lower part of the recess and said knuckle having an oppositely disposed wedge portionon the upper part ofits free end, said latter wedge portion engaging in the recess of a coacting coupler head over the wedge portion thereof.

A car coupler, including a head having a lniuckle-receiving recess, and a knuckle pivoted to the head, a wedge secured to the head and projecting` into the recess, and a wedge secured to the knuckle.

4. A car coupler, including a head having a knuckle-receiving recess and a knuckle pivoted to the head, a wedge secured to the under side of the head and projecting into the recess, and awedge secured to the upper side of the knuckle and projecting beyond the end thereof.

5. A ear coupler, including a head having a knuckle-receiving recess and a knuckle pivoted to the head and having a vertical opening in its end, a wedge located in the lower portion of the knuckle-receiving recess and having a liange secured to the under side of the head, another wedge located upon the end of the knuckle and having a flange that rests upon the knuckle, and a fastener passing through said flange and through the opening in the knuckle.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiix iny signature in the Jresence of two Witnesses. R BERT E. CROWLEY. litnesses lV. J. GEEK, y CLIO KREITER. 

